Lounge

ABSTRACT

A lounge, or chair, especially a dental lounge, provided with a head supporting member and a seat portion. The seat portion is adjustable such that the head of a person reclining in the lounge is located at the head supporting member irrespective of his size. The seat portion comprises a flexible sling secured between an upwardly inclined leg support member and an upwardly inclined back support member, the back support member being offset downwardly from the leg support member. The seat portion is adjustable by moving a sling adjustment member, moveably mounted beneath the sling, in a direction generally longitudinally of the leg support member. The sling assumes a position between the leg support member and the back support member responsive to the position of the sling adjustment member thus setting the position of the seat portion at a desired position relative to the head support. The head of the person in the chair can thus be located at the head support irrespective of the person&#39;&#39;s size.

United States Patent Jensen 1 Aug. 21, 1973 LOUNGE Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilliam [76] Inventor: Carl Robert Jensen, 1555 14th St., Atmmey Gene Watson Mt h ll,N b .6 357 e e r 9 57 ABSTRACT [22] Filed: Feb. 11, 1971 [52] US. Cl. 297/284, 297/455, 297/457 [51] Int. Cl A47c 3/00, A47c 7/02 [58] Field of Search 297/284, 212, 441,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,692,010 10/1954 Christie 297/284 3,279,846 10/1966 Morosini 297/284 X 1,432,777 10/1922 Mortimore 5/66 X 1,528,835 3/1925 McCollough 5/89 X 3,261,639 7/1966 Phillips 5/66 X 3,397,411 8/1968 Rossi 5/63 X 3,565,482 2/1971 Blodee 297/284 3,530,514 9/1970 McCalley... 5/69 X 3,562,824 2/1971 White 5/66 X A lounge, or chair, especially a dental lounge, provided with a head supporting member. and a seat portion. The seat portion is adjustable such that the head of a person reclining in the lounge is located at the head supporting member irrespective of his size. The seat portion comprises a flexible sling secured between an upwardly inclined leg support member and an upwardly inclined back support member, the back support member being offset downwardly from the leg support member. The seat portion is adjustable by moving a sling adjustment member, moveably mounted beneath the sling, in a direction generally longitudinally of the leg support member. The sling assumes a position between the leg support member and the back support member responsive to the position of the sling adjustment member thus setting the position of the seat portion at a desired position relative to the head support. The head of the person in the chair can thus be located at the head support irrespective of the person s size.

12 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures Patented Aug. 21, 1973 3,753,592

' 2 Sheets-Sheet l g] I 2O '8 I I9 mvsu'ron CARL R. JENSEN n Gene 0 wafsoa ATTORNEY LOUNGE The present invention relates to a piece of furniture for reclining. More particularly, the invention relates to a dental lounge.

Dentists and dentistry have been plagued for many years by a lack of operating efficiency. Progress in dental materials and techniques have advanced more rapidly than education in the practical use of these materials and techniques. Consequently, adaptation to new methods has been slow. Two of the prime difficulties in all dental operations, and particularly in techniques such as aesthetic crown and bridge, endodontics, periodontal surgery, and pedodontic oral surgery, have been access and visibility.

In a conventional dental lounge comprising a back support portion, a seat support portion, and a leg support portion, the patient is seated in the seat portion and his head will assume a position depending upon his size. For this reason, the position of the patients head will vary and thus may be out of the operating field of the dental lounge. Conventional lounges are, of course, adjustable. However, adjustment in conventional lounges is made relative to the patients seat. That is, once the patient is seated, adjustment is made in a head support, leg support, or the like to fit the patient.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a piece of furniture for reclining, such as a dental lounge, which is adjustable such that the head of a person reclining in the piece of furniture can be located at a head support member of the lounge irrespective of the persons size. It is a further object of the invention to provide a dental lounge having the foregoing features such that the patients head is placed in the operating field regardless of the patients size and as close as possible to all instrumentation, thereby reducing the overall distance required for exchange of instruments. It is still a further object of the invention to provide such a dental lounge which permits the dentist to sit during operation.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The foregoing and other objects which will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art are achieved according to the present invention by providing a piece of futniture for reclining comprising a leg support portion comprising an elongate leg support member, a back support portion spaced from said leg support portion comprising an elongate back support member and a head support portion located adjacent the end of said back support member remote from said leg support member, a seat support portion comprising a flexible sling member extending from said leg support portion to said back support portion in the space therebetween, means for adjusting the position of said sling member to adjust the position of said seat portion relative to said head support portion comprising a member moveable beneath said flexible sling member in the space between said leg support portion and said back support portion to change the effective length of said leg support member, said flexible sling assuming a position between said leg support portion and said back support portion responsive to the position of said sling adjustment member thereby setting the position of said seat portion relative to said head support portion, and means for moving said sling adjustment member for changing the position of said seat portion relative to said head support portion whereby the head of a person reclining in said piece of furniture can be located at said head support portion irrespective of the person's size.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION There follows a detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, together with accompanying drawings. However, it is to be understood that the detailed description and accompanying drawings are provided solely for the purpose of illustrating a preferred embodiment and that the invention is capable of numerous capable and variations apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dental lounge according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevation of the lounge of FIG. 1 but omitting the supporting frame for the lounge to show operation of the sling adjustment means according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an end sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a frame for the lounge shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic side elevation of a portion of FIG. 1 showing a sling adjustment member according to the invention and a piston-cylinder arrangement utilized to move same;

FIG. 6 is a schematic side elevation of an adjustable support means for adjusting the position of the frame shown in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic side elevation of an alternative adjustable support for a dental lounge according to the present invention.

With reference to FIGS. 1-5, a dental lounge according to the present invention comprises a leg suport portion 10, a back support portion 30 spaced from the leg support portion and a seat support portion 50 between the leg support portion and the back support portion. The leg support portion 10 comprises an elongate inclined leg support member 11 inclined generally upwardly from a front portion 12 of the lounge towards a rear portion 31 thereof.

Back support portion 30 comprises an elongate back support member 32 inclined in the same general attitude as leg support member 11 from a point 33 intermediate the front andrear of the lounge and extending upwardly towards rear portion 31. In the illustrated embodiment, members 11 and 32 are each planar elements having a board-like upper surface. In the illustrated embodiment, back support member 32 is inclined at an angle of about 25 with respect to horizontal and leg support member 11 is inclined at an angle of about 15 with respect to horizontal.

Seat support portion 50 of the lounge comprises a flexible sling member 51 extending in the space between the leg support member 11 and back support member 32. In this embodiment, the sling is a portion of a piece of padded upholstery fabric extending from front portion 12 to rear portion 31 of the lounge and having a length sufficient to form a comfortable seat supporting portion 52 in the space between back'support portion 30 and leg support portion 10 of the lounge. Sling 51 is connected by any suitable means such as snaps, adhesives, or the like, to the upper surface of leg support member 1 1 and to the upper surface of back support member 32 at a point towards the upper or rear end thereof. The sling is thus draped be tween the leg support member 11 and back support member 32 and assumes a position such as shown in FIG. 2 which is free of support in seat portion 52 be tween leg support member 11 and back support member 32.

Back support portion 30 further includes a head support portion 34, which, in the illustrated embodiment, comprises a neck support member 35 for positioning the head of a person in the lounge at head support portion 34. It will be seen with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 that only a person of a certain size can be accomodated in the chair with the head of that person located at head portion 34 and the seat located at seat portion 50. The present invention includes means for adjusting the position of the seat portion relative to the head support portion such that the chair can accomodate a person of any size with the persons head at head support portion 34. In this manner, the head of the person can be located in a desired operating area as close as desired to all instrumentation regardless of the size of the patient. This makes it possible to reduce to a minimum the overall distance necessary for instrument exchange. The seat portion is adjusted by means of a member 13 moveable beneath sling member 51 in a direction generally longitudinally of leg support member 11 adjacent the upper end 14 thereof to change the effective length of the leg support member. The flexible sling 51 assumes a position between leg support member .11 and back support member 32 responsive to the position of the sling adjustment member 13 thereby setting the position of the seat portion relative to the head support portion of the lounge. With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, member 13 may be, for instance, a generally planar, board-like member moveable in tracks 15, 16, provided at the edges of leg support member 11. Member 13 is conveniently moved under the influence of a piston 17 actuated by a conventional double-acting hydraulic cylinder 18.

In FIG. 2, sling adjustment member 13 is shown in a fully-retracted position. With the sling member 13 in this position, seat-portion 52 is located adjacent the upper end of leg support member 11. Thus, the seat portion 52 is at a maximum distance from head support portion 34 of the lounge. The lounge is preferably dimensioned to accomodate a large person, such as a person 7 feet tall, at this fully-retracted position of member 13 such that the person is comfortably supported by the seat area 52 of sling member 51 as well as by back support member 32 and leg support member 1 1 with the patients head at head portion 34. The patient's head is conveniently positioned at head portion 34 by any conventional means such as a neck support 35 illustrated. In order to adjust the lounge to accomodate a shorter patient, sling adjustment member 13 is moved upwardly in the sense of FIG. 2 in a direction generally longitudinal of leg support member 11 as shown in phantom in FIG. 2. When member 13 assumes the position shown by 13' sling member 51 will assume the position shown as 51'. The sling will thus extend over extended member 13 and will be draped from the upper end of that member downwardly onto back support member 32 at a point 36 generally intermediate the ends of back support member 32. The lounge is preferably dimensioned such that at maximum extension of member 13, the lounge accomodates a short person such as a young child. The child would be supported by back portion 30, seat portion 52' and the childs legs would be supported by extended member 13 and possibly by leg support member 1 1, depending upon the childs size. As shown in FIG. 1, the leg support member 11 and back support member 32 are mounted on a supporting frame shown in FIG. 4. The supporting frame includes a back support portion 61 for supporting back support member 32 and a leg support portion 62 for supporting leg support member 11. Frame 60 is conveniently constructed from wood, plastic, metal or other construction material in the form shown such that back support portion 61 extends at a suitable angle with respect to the horizontal. In the illustrated embodiment, back support portion 61 is constructed to support back support member 32 at an angle of about 25 with respect to the horizontal. Leg support portion 62 is constructed and arranged to support leg support member 11 at an angle of about 15 with respect to the horizontal. Leg support portion 62 is conveniently provided with a slot 63 to accomodate piston 17, cylinder 18, and the lugs utilized to attach piston 17 to sling adjustment member 13. As seen most clearly in FIG. 5, piston 17 is pivotally secured to a lug 19 provided at the upper, or rear, end 20 of sling adjustment member 13. The outer end of piston 17 is conveniently provided with a yoke 21 pivotally connected to lug 19 by means of a bolt 22. Cylinder 18 is pivotally secured to frame 60 by means of a bolt (not shown) extending through aligned apertures in lugs 64 and 65 of frame member 60 and lug 23 provided at the bottom of cylinder 18. Hydraulic cylinder 18 is a conventional double-acting hydraulic cylinder having a conventional hydraulic circuit caable of positioning sling adjustment member 13 at any desired position within its range of movement relative to leg support member 11.

Leg support member 1 l is secured to leg support portion 62 of frame 60 in any convenient manner such as bolts, screws, or the like. Frame 60 is conveniently provided with flanges 66, 67 adjacent the lower, or front, end 12 of leg support member 11 with lower surfaces 24, 25 of leg support member 11 in contact with the upper inclined surface of leg support portion 62 of frame 60. Frame 60 also conveinently includes a flange surface 68 intermediate the ends thereof for receiving the lower end 33 of back support member 32. Back support member 32 and leg support member 11 are each bolted or otherwise secured by conventional means to, respectively, back support portion 61 and leg support portion 62 of frame 60.

There has thus been described an embodiment of the invention depicted in FIGS. l-5 wherein the back support portion and the leg support portion of the lounge are fixed. However, it will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that these elements of the lounge, as well as the lounge itself, may each be moveable. For example, with reference to FIG. 6, there is shown a support structure 70 for a frame 60. Support structure 70 includes a table member 71 which is capable of being raised and lowered in the direction of arrow 72 by means of a piston 73 actuated by hydraulic cylinder 74. The lower, or front end 69 of frame 60 is pivotally secured at 75 to table 71. Rear end 76 of frame 60 is supported on table 71 by means of a piston 77 moveable in the direction of arrow 78 under the action of conventional double acting hydraulic cylinder will be apparent that the head support member can be a separate element as shown in FIG. 7. In FIG. 7, leg support member 11, back support member 32, and head support member 90 are each mounted on table 95 which in turn is secured to piston 96 moveable vertically under the influence of conventional double acting hydraulic cylinder 97. The lounge is therefore moveable vertically under the influence of hydraulic cylinder 97 and may be rotatable about piston 96. In addition, in this embodiment, leg support portion 10, back support portion 30, and head support portion 34 are each individually adjustable. Leg support member 11 is pivotally adjustable about pivot connection 98 by means of conventional double acting hydraulic cylinder 99 and piston 100 which are pivotally connected, respectively, to the table 95 and leg support member 1 l. Similarly, back support member 32 is adjustable pivotally about pivot 101 by means of piston 102 acting under the influence of conventional double-acting hydraulic cylinder 103, the piston and cylinder being pivotally attached, respectively, to back support member 32 and to table 95. Head support member 90 is also pivotally mounted on a conventional pivot joint 104 and is also preferably adjustable vertically in the direction of arrow 105 by conventional adjustment means.

It is preferred that the angle of inclination of the back support member is greater than that of the leg support member. This is because the gap' between back support member 32 and leg support member 11 should be less for a person of smaller size than for a person of larger size. Where the angle of inclination of the back support member is greater than that of the leg support member, extension of sling adjustment member 13 causes the upper end of that member to approach back support member 32. Accordingly, the gap between the members becomes less as the seat portion 52 is moved upwardly towards the head support portion to accomodate a person of smaller size. Where the angle of inclination of these members is fixed, it is preferred that the angle of inclination of the back support member be between and 30 and that the angle of inclination of the leg support member be between 10 and 20. At the same time, the angle of inclination of the back support member is preferably at least 5 greater than that of the leg support member.

The sling adjustment member 13 is preferably moveably mounted on leg support member 11 as shown, for example, in FIG. 3. However, the sling adjustment member can be moveably mounted directly on the frame or in any suitable manner. The upper end of sling adjustment member 13 is preferably rounded to prevent snagging the flexible sling member. The end is conveniently also enlarged in section as shown. Alternatively, a roller may be mounted at the outer end of sling member 13.

With respect to the embodiment of FIG. 7, it will be apparent that the angles of inclination of the back support member and leg support member are individually adjustable as desired to provide refined adjustment for patient comfort.

What is claimed is:

1. A piece of furniture for supporting a person in a chair-sitting configuration and a reclining orientation comprising:

a leg support portion comprising an elongate leg support member;

a back support portion laterally offset from said leg support portion comprising an elongate back support member and a head support portion located adjacent the end of said back support member remote from said leg support member;

a seat support portion comprising a flexible sling member extending from said leg support portion to said back support portion in the space therebetween;

means for varying said sling member to adjust the position of said seat portion back or forth toward or away from said head support portion so as to vary the distance along the back support portion between the head support portion and the seat support portion, said means comprising a member moveable beneath said flexible sling member in the space between said leg support portion and said back support portion to change the effective length of said leg support member, said flexible sling assuming a position between said leg support portion and said back support portion responsive to the position of said sling adjustment member thereby setting the position of said seat portion relative to said head support portion; and

means for moving said sling adjustment member for changing the position of said seat portion relative to said head support portion whereby the head of a person sitting/reclining in said piece of furniture can be located at said head support portion irrespective of the person's size.

2. A piece of furniture according to claim 1 wherein said sling member comprises an upholstery web extending over the length of the leg support portion, seat support portion, and back support portion thereof, said upholstery web being secured to said leg support member and to said back support member, and being freely draped therebetween.

3. A piece of furniture according to claim 1 wherein said back support member and said leg support member are each inclined.

4. A piece of furniture according to claim 1 wherein the angle of inclination of said back support member is greater than that of said leg support member whereby, on extension of said sling adjustment member, the gap between the upper end thereof and said back support member becomes less'thereby providing a smaller seat portion for a person of smaller size.

5. A piece of furniture according to claim 1 wherein said back support member is inclined at an angle of from 20-30.

6. A piece of furniture according to claim 5 wherein said leg support member is inclined at an angle of from 10-20, said angle being at least 5 less than that of said back support member.

7. A piece of furniture according to claim 1 wherein the angle of inclination of said back support member is adjustable.

8. A piece of furniture according to claim 7 wherein the angle of inclination of said leg support member is adjustable.

9. A lounge comprising an inclined back support having a head support portion, an inclined leg support laterally offset from said back support, means forming a generally oppositely inclined seat support extending between said back support and said leg support, said supports and said means being operatively relatively arranged and configured so as to support a person in a generally sitting configuration and a generally reclining orientation, and means for varying the location along said back support from which said seat support means extend therefrom toward said leg support, thereby varying the distance along the back support between the head support and the seat support, said varying means also effectively varying the location of the upper end of the leg support along the lounge.

10. A lounge as claimed in claim 9 wherein said varying means also effectively varies the laterally ofiset distance between the back support and the upper end of the leg support in the sense to decrease this distance as the distance along the back support between the head support portion and the seat support decreases.

11. A lounge as claimed in claim 9 wherein said seat support means comprises part of a generally flexible sheet-like member which extends along at least part of said back support, then laterally to the upper end of said leg support, and then along at least part of said leg support, the sheet-like member being connected to said back support remote from the lower end of the back support and to the leg support remote from the upper end of the leg support, and said varying means varies inversely the relative portions of the sheet which lie along the back support and the leg support, respectively.

12. A lounge as claimed in claim 11 wherein said varying means comprises means for effectively moving the upper end of said leg support relative to said sheetlike member and along the length of the lounge so as to increase the length of the sheetlike member which extends along the leg support and decrease the length thereof which extends along the back support, or vice versa thereby varying the location of that part of the sheet-like member which forms the seat support.

* i i l 1 

1. A piece of furniture for supporting a person in a chairsitting configuration and a reclining orientation comprising: a leg support portion comprising an elongate leg support member; a back support portion laterally offset from said leg support portion comprising an elongate back support member and a head support portion located adjacent the end of said back support member remote from said leg support member; a seat support portion comprising a flexible sling member extending from said leg support portion to said back support portion in the space therebetween; means for varying said sling member to adjust the position of said seat portion back or forth toward or away from said head support portion so as to vary the distance along the back support portion between the head support portion and the seat support portion, said means comprising a member moveable beneath said flexible sling member in the space between said leg support portion and said back support portion to change the effecTive length of said leg support member, said flexible sling assuming a position between said leg support portion and said back support portion responsive to the position of said sling adjustment member thereby setting the position of said seat portion relative to said head support portion; and means for moving said sling adjustment member for changing the position of said seat portion relative to said head support portion whereby the head of a person sitting/reclining in said piece of furniture can be located at said head support portion irrespective of the person''s size.
 2. A piece of furniture according to claim 1 wherein said sling member comprises an upholstery web extending over the length of the leg support portion, seat support portion, and back support portion thereof, said upholstery web being secured to said leg support member and to said back support member, and being freely draped therebetween.
 3. A piece of furniture according to claim 1 wherein said back support member and said leg support member are each inclined.
 4. A piece of furniture according to claim 1 wherein the angle of inclination of said back support member is greater than that of said leg support member whereby, on extension of said sling adjustment member, the gap between the upper end thereof and said back support member becomes less thereby providing a smaller seat portion for a person of smaller size.
 5. A piece of furniture according to claim 1 wherein said back support member is inclined at an angle of from 20*-30*.
 6. A piece of furniture according to claim 5 wherein said leg support member is inclined at an angle of from 10*-20*, said angle being at least 5* less than that of said back support member.
 7. A piece of furniture according to claim 1 wherein the angle of inclination of said back support member is adjustable.
 8. A piece of furniture according to claim 7 wherein the angle of inclination of said leg support member is adjustable.
 9. A lounge comprising an inclined back support having a head support portion, an inclined leg support laterally offset from said back support, means forming a generally oppositely inclined seat support extending between said back support and said leg support, said supports and said means being operatively relatively arranged and configured so as to support a person in a generally sitting configuration and a generally reclining orientation, and means for varying the location along said back support from which said seat support means extend therefrom toward said leg support, thereby varying the distance along the back support between the head support and the seat support, said varying means also effectively varying the location of the upper end of the leg support along the lounge.
 10. A lounge as claimed in claim 9 wherein said varying means also effectively varies the laterally offset distance between the back support and the upper end of the leg support in the sense to decrease this distance as the distance along the back support between the head support portion and the seat support decreases.
 11. A lounge as claimed in claim 9 wherein said seat support means comprises part of a generally flexible sheet-like member which extends along at least part of said back support, then laterally to the upper end of said leg support, and then along at least part of said leg support, the sheet-like member being connected to said back support remote from the lower end of the back support and to the leg support remote from the upper end of the leg support, and said varying means varies inversely the relative portions of the sheet which lie along the back support and the leg support, respectively.
 12. A lounge as claimed in claim 11 wherein said varying means comprises means for effectively moving the upper end of said leg support relative to said sheet-like member and along the length of the lounge so as to increase the length of the sheetlike member which extends along the leg support and decrease thE length thereof which extends along the back support, or vice versa thereby varying the location of that part of the sheet-like member which forms the seat support. 